SaskTel firsts and significant accomplishments

Over the years, SaskTel has compiled an impressive list of industry "firsts and accomplishments" despite the challenges of delivering service over a large and sparsely populated area.

2011

• SaskTel reports 2010 as its best operating year ever highlighted by a net income of $155.2 million and operating revenues of $1,112.4 million.
• SaskTel was recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers and one of Saskatchewan Top Companies by MediaCorp Canada Inc. SaskTel has had the distinction of being a part of this prestigious group of employers since the awards were introduced, and is the only Saskatchewan-based company to make the list twelve times.
• SaskTel was ranked the highest in overall customer satisfaction in the West region in the 2011 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates (in Nov 2010 and Feb 2011). SaskTel also ranked first in the West in four individual categories: network quality, account management, customer service, and offerings and promotions.
• SaskTel launched first phase of its Fibre to the Premises network at University of Saskatchewan College Quarters.
• The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan honoured SaskTel with an Exceptional Engineering/Geoscience Project Award for the work involved in the 4G Network.
  

2010

• In August, SaskTel launched the the most extensive 3G+ network in Saskatchewan.
• In June, SaskTel celebrated its 100th employee blood donor clinic since 1965.
• In April, SaskTel is named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc. for the second straight year – the only Saskatchewan-based company to make the list in 2010.
• In March, SaskTel subsidiary DirectWest announced the launch of an innovative mobile phone application that would allow BlackBerry and iPhone users quick and easy access to an enhanced SaskTel Phonebook.

2009

• In October, SaskTel is named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc. and is the only Saskatchewan-based company to make the list 10 years in a row.
• In October, SaskTel, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and zu introduce the Rider App, the first of its kind in the Canadian Football League. The Rider App provides scores, stats, schedules and more over a mobile device.
• On August 8th SaskTel celebrates 20 years of providing wireless phone service.
• In June, SaskTel announced the launch of SaskTel Satellite Internet powered by Xplornet, providing coverage to all areas of Saskatchewan not able to receive SaskTel High Speed Internet.
• In May, SaskTel subsidiary SecurTek, along with its partner Home Automated Living, announced the launch of the SecurTek Home Manager service – a centralized, whole-home automation system that was the first of its kind in Canada. SecurTek Home Manager is a voice command home automation system that allows customers to automate their home’s environmental, power and entertainment systems.

2008

• On November 28th a SaskTel customer activated the 500,000th wireless device on SaskTel’s digital network.
• In November, the Government of Saskatchewan and SaskTel announced that Saskatchewan would have 100% high speed internet coverage within three years as a result of a new Rural Infrastructure Program.
• In July, SaskTel and Alcatel-Lucent announced the launch of LifeStat™ Remote Monitoring and Health Management, a service that records and transmits daily blood glucose and blood pressure readings, automatically creating confidential, easy-to-use reports that can be viewed online by the client, their caregivers, and the client’s healthcare professionals.
• In February, SaskTel introduced EV-DO Rev A cellular service in Regina and Saskatoon as part of a plan to expand the service to communities across the province. EV-DO enables faster speeds and access to new wireless data services including web browsing, content downloads and video streaming.
• In January, SaskTel signed a video-on-demand distribution agreement with Disney-ABC International Television for feature films from Walt Disney Pictures, Disney Animation, Pixar and Touchstone Pictures. With this agreement, SaskTel Max™ customers now had access to films from every major studio, on demand and commercial-free.

 

2007

• After releasing 2006 financial results, SaskTel exceeds $1 billion in revenues for the first time in its history.
• SaskTel is the first provider in Canada to offer Voice Mail to Text service, powered by SpinVox.

2006

• In Oct, SaskTel was the first in North America to deliver HDTV over IP due to its Next Generation Access Infrastructure (NGAI) investment. SaskTel will make a capital investment of over $310 million through 2010 significantly increasing bandwidth to the home..
• In Sep, SaskTel is the first in Canada to launch Say & Send messaging service, a service that enables SaskTel postpaid cellular customers to record voice messages and send them instantly to other SaskTel cellular customers.
• SaskTel introduced Centrex IP, which used internet protocol technology to provide business customers lower rates than traditional Centrex service along with the ability to manage their own telephone moves and changes.

2005

• SaskTel was one of first in Canada to introduce the third generation of wireless technology, Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), which will bring wireless internet speeds up to par with landline high speed internet service.

2004

• SaskTel was the first service provider in Canada to offer a managed residential gateway service with WiFi capability and enhanced features such as parental controls, content filtering, remote access, and firewall as a standard offering.

2003

• SaskTel was the first telecommunications company in North America to offer a video-on-demand service – Max Front Row™ Service.

2002

• SaskTel was one of the first in Canada to offer IPTV – Max™ Service .

1996

• SaskTel was the first in North America to offer high speed internet service using Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology.

1995

• SaskTel was at the forefront in Canada to offer universal internet access to both urban and rural residents, and the first in Canada to offer it with no long distance charges.

1994

• SaskTel was the first in Canada to offer a long distance savings plan to customers – Real Plus™.

1992

• SaskTel was one of the first major sponsors in Saskatchewan to form a partnership with TRLabs – beginning a long-term commitment to telecom research and development with the research consortium.

1991

• SaskTel was the first in Canada to offer Custom Calling features (now renamed SaskTel Calling Features) – Call Display, Call Trace and Call Return.

Early 1990's

• SaskTel was the first telecommunications company in Canada to complete its rural individual line service program, eliminating party lines throughout Saskatchewan.

1987

• Since 1987, SaskTel has invested close to $2.8 billion in its world-class infrastructure in Saskatchewan that offers residents and business owners the ability to connect to the global marketplace in ways they never could before.

1985

• SaskTel is a world leader in fiber optics - no more evident than SaskTel's key role in the largest construction project of the 20th century - helping install and test the communications system in the Channel Tunnel linking England and France.

1984

• SaskTel was the first in the world to complete what was then the longest commercial fiber optic network.